Welcome to Craft and Chat – a creative way for hard-working members of the JGH Physiotherapy team to relax among colleagues and produce crafts at the same time. Participants gather each Monday to unwind and produce their own crafts, from crocheting to colouring, knitting to needlepoint.
The sessions are the brainchild of Stephanie Molloy, a novice physiotherapist who wanted to provide a welcoming place for her co-workers to share companionship and do crafts over their lunch hour. “Being creative is good for your overall well-being and mental health,” Ms. Molloy says. “We do hard work in our jobs, and it’s easy to get burned out if you don’t look after yourself. This is a way of taking care of your emotional well-being.”
Ms. Molloy’s initiative has won the appreciation of her department, and she was a finalist in the Young Talent category of the 2024 Multidisciplinary Council Recognition Awards. Besides the Craft and Chat sessions, Ms. Molloy organized a clean-up of the grounds around the JGH on Earth Day in April, and volunteered to supervise a junior physiotherapy student this fall.
“Stephanie energetically contributes to her team’s well-being in innovative ways,” Lynn Gillespie, Chief of Physiotherapy, wrote in her nomination of Ms. Molloy. “Her professional engagement, energy and attention to well-being is appreciated by her team.”
That includes the participants who joined a Craft and Chat session in September. “This lets me spend time with my colleagues outside of work time,” says Physiotherapist Sarah Mailhot. “It also helps me focus better when I go back to work, because I’ve taken a real break.”
Craft and Chat is open to all members of the Physiotherapy team at the JGH. If you’re interested in joining a session or finding out more about it, contact Ms. Molloy at stephanie.molloy.ccomtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca .
